The Very Best’s M.I.A.-featuring Warm Heart Of Africa was a largely unheralded crossover pop triumph of 2009; a co-operative endeavour between laudably proactive Malawian vocalist Esau Mwamwaya and the persistently collaborative, Swedish-born but London-based Johan Hugo (aka Radioclit). Their second studio full-length goes by the vowel-shunning name of MTMTMK and, as is their wont, features further crossing of respective creativities with the likes of Mali’s Amadou & Mariam, Senegal’s Baaba Maal, Russia’s Xuman, and our very own Seye. K’Naan also crops up on We Ok which, quite bizarrely, was co-written by none other than the odious Bruno Mars. Sounding a little like a belatedly outed FIFA-officiated tournament theme, Seye’s Kondaine similarly comes across as an east African redux of Waka Waka and features the loveable lyric of being hit “like a stadium band.” The Auto-Tuned Rumbae meanwhile rather recalls Snoop’s Guetta-bumped salacious aspirations to “make you sweat” on an LP that’s as variegated as its contributors are varied both artistically and ethnically. 

MTMTMK is to be released next week (July 16th) via Moshi Moshi.